Capital Health nurse strike: what you need to know

2,400 registered nurses started strike at 7 a.m. Thursday

Protesters march outside the legislature in Halifax on Wednesday. Picket lines sprung up outside most Halifax-area hospitals on Thursday as 2,400 unionized nurses went on strike. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)

How will the strike affect you?

You can also get general health-care advice from a registered nurse by calling 811.

For emergency health care, you should go to your nearest emergency department of call 911. The emergency department will be fully staffed during the nurses' strike.

If your surgery or appointment is postponed due to the strike, Capital Health says you will be called to arrange a time to reschedule. If you haven't been called by Capital Health and told otherwise, your surgery and clinic appointment are going ahead as scheduled.

Who's involved?

Local 97 represents 2,400 registered nurses who primarily work at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, the Nova Scotia Hospital, the East Coast Forensic Hospital and Public Health Services.

This dispute does not include members of the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union, which represents another 6,700 registered nurses, nurse practitioners and licensed practical nurses working in hospitals, long-term care and community care facilities across the province.

What is essential services legislation?

When the law is passed, nurses and other health workers will first have to agree with management which positions are essential services and staff those positions before starting any strike action.

The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees' union says such deals can take up to six months to reach, effectively taking away their right to strike in that time.

Premier Stephen McNeil has said the new law is needed because there have been three labour disruptions in the health-care sector within seven months — paramedics, home-care workers and now registered nurses.

The legislation would apply to nurses, paramedics, ambulance dispatchers, hospital employees and people who work in homes for seniors, youth and people with disabilities.